Four stabbed in Fuvahmulah fight

Four young men were stabbed in a fight in southern Fuvahmulah Island on Wednesday night.

Three were transported to nearby Addu City’s Hithadhoo regional hospital for further treatment. Two other individuals were treated for injuries in Fuvahmulah.

The fight at 11.15 pm last night occurred due to a disagreement between two rival groups of Hoadhadu ward and Dhoodigamu ward of Fuvahmulah, according to the police.

One young man is in critical condition.

Shaah Saeed, director at the regional hospital, told The Maldives Independent that the young man had suffered stab wounds to his stomach. “He underwent surgery this morning, his status is still unclear.”

Five have been arrested in connection to the fight, a police spokesman said.

Seven men, including two migrant workers, were murdered this year.

Violent crime has typically been limited to the capital city Malé, but two Maldivians were killed in Addu City and Laamu Atoll Mundoo this year. Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi national was discovered dead with injuries in Laamu Atoll Gan in June.

Successive governments have been criticized for failure to tackle gang violence.

Jailed former President Mohamed Nasheed’s lawyer Mahfooz Saeed was stabbed in the head in broad daylight in Malé on September 4. No arrests have been made yet.